Plant for the mechanical discharge of vessels serving for the treatment of superphosphates.



E. WENK. PLANT FOR THE MECHANICAL DISCHARGE 0F VESSELS SERVING FOR THETREATMENT OF SUPERPHOSPHATBS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 8, 1910.

Patented July 30, 1912.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

i l l l I I l l l I COLUMBIA FLA Noam (20., WASHINGTON, D. G.

E. WENK. PLANT FOR THE MECHANICAL DISCHARGE 0F VESSELS SERVING FOR THETREATMENT 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented July 30, 1912,

OF SUPERPHOSPHATES. APPLICATION FILED was, 1910.

Z/J/W' COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co.. WASHINMDN; D. c.

EMILE WENK, OF BASEL, SWITZERLAND.

PLANT FOR THE MECHANICAL DISCHARGE OFVESSELS SERVINGFOR-THE TREATMENT OFSUPERPI-IOSPHATES.

Specification of Letters I'atent.

Patented. July 30,1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EMILE WENK, a citizen ofthe. Swiss Confederation, and residing at Basel, Switzerland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Plants for theMechanical Discharge of Vessels Serving for the Treatment ofSuperphosphates, of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of superphosphates, it is necessary to remove thesame from the vessel in which they have been previously allowed tobecome a hardened mass. It has commonly been the practice to remove thismass by hand, which is a most ineflicient and expensive method.Mechanical means have been devised for this purpose but their bulk, costand complicated structure have rendered their extensive useimpracticable. In

some cases the vessel or container to be emptied is moved so as to bringthematerial in contact with a relatively stationary scraper. Thisoccasions loss of time, increased cost of motive power and-large plants.

The improved plant herein illustrated contemplates the provision ofstationary containers and a relatively movable autocarriage having aprime mover adapted to actuate the scrapers. This prime mover which ispreferably an electric motor may be controlled automatically by themovement of the carriage so that the latter, having oncebeen started,may be stopped, reversed or otherwise controlled at predeterminedperiods in its travel.

In the practical embodiment of the present invention the dischargingmechanism is compact, light, efiicient, cheap and accessible.

In the drawings in which is illustrated one arrangement by which asingle dischargingrmechanism, under the operation of one attendant, maybe used in connection with abank of retainers, Figure 1 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view of the plant, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionof the sametaken'on the plane of the midline of the .containerandlookingtoward the forwardend thereof, Fig. 3 is a fragmentary verticallongitudinal section .on a larger scale, showing the scrapermechanismatthe inner end of the container, Fig. 4 is. a trans verse section ofthe same taken on a plane;

adjacent therear end of the carriage, Figs.

5 and 6 are detailed views of a form of scraper tooth.

The reaction chamber'is dividedinto 1compartments 2 in which are mountedcontainers 3 preferably provided each with an inlet port 4, alongitudinal discharge slot 5 in its bottom, which slot may be closed bya gate 5 and a front end door 6.- Acharging hopper l is suitablydisposed with relation to the inlet ports 4 so that the containers maybe simultaneously charged.

The edges of each slot 5 have rails 7 mounted thereon and extending'fromend to end of the container. On .these rails 7 is adapted torun a car 11carryingits own propelling means, such as an electric-.motor 12, whichis also operatively connected to a scraper 13 through suitable gearing12 and 12 The scraper here shown comprises a plurality of arms angularlydisposed with respect to each other and. rotatably mounted upon a commonaxis coincident with the aXis of the container. On these arms, arescraper blades 13 which may be, and pref erably are, of the form shownin Figs. 5 and 6. Between the scraper and the forward end of the car isa sheet metal screen 29 to prevent the escape of acidic vapors as thecar moves forwardly and further to protect the parts of the car frommaterial loosened by the scrapers.

The rear wheels of thecar are preferably used as driving wheels and areaccordingly rigidly mounted on .a revoluble shaft 14 to which motion isimparted from the motor 12. Loosely mounted on the shaft 14: are a wormwheel 15 and asprocket wheel -16between which is slidably mountedacoupling 17, keyed on the shaft. This coupling and said wheels haveinterengaging portions whereby the motion of that wheel which is engagedwith the coupling is transmitted to the shaft 14, ancLthe car therebydriven in one direction or the other. This coupling 17 may beshifte'd bymeans of atlever 18 which has connected thereto a counter -weight.19.toshift the sleeve in: one direction wheel 15. as in Fig. 4, the operatinglever 18 .ismaintained in position against. the pull of the counterweight by an electric magnet 20 withdrawn from the vessel in about l/dOof the time required for the full forward movement. Obviously otherratios to suit conditions of use may be employed.

The control of the motor, and accordingly of the car may be eifected bymeans of a switch 22 suitably placed in the motor circuit. This switchhas a lever to which is attached a cable 21' or other means permittingready manual operation. Through the lever end runs a second cable 21 towhich are attached suitable stops 21 and 21 suitably disposed on eitherside of the lever arm. This cable has one end attached to the rear endof the car 11 and the other end may be counter-weighted. The stops abovemen tioned are adapted to engage with the lever switch and operate thesame at predetermined periods in the travel of the car. The circuit ofthe-motor is completed through conductors 28 also so arranged as to prevent free movement of the car.

In practice it may be desirable to provide a truck 8 carrying rails 10which may be brought in alinement with the rails 7 of the container.This truck 8 is preferably mounted on rails 9 disposed in front of andtransverse to the containers. By this arrangement the scraper may beeasily directed into any one of a number of vessels.

In operation, the truck 22 is moved so that the rails 10 and rails 7 arein alinement. The door 6 of the vessel is removed, the switch 22 isclosed and the lever 18 is drawn so as to be under the control of theelectric magnet 20. The car 11 then moves forwardly into the containeruntil it reaches a predetermined position therein, as shown in Fig. 3.The stop 21 then acts on the switch lever to move the same and break themotor circuit thus stopping the car and allowing the coupling 17 toslide into engagement with the sprocket. Further movement of the switchlever, which may be eifected by hand or by means of a spring, closes thecircuit and the car is run out of the vessel. Upon again reaching theposition shown in Fig. 1, the stop 21 engages the switch lever andbreaks the motor circuit, thus stopping the car. The scrapers are drivencontinuously by the motor and during the slow forward movement of thecar scrape off the impacted material in front of the car. To dischargeanother container the car 8 may be moved to bring its rails 10 inalinement with the rails of said container and the above describedoperation may be repeated.

The material scraped off by the scrapers falls through the slot 5 into atrough 24 which extends from one end of the compartment to the other.Under the trough is disposed a belt conveyer 25 of any suitable formcarried by guide pulleys 25 and operated by any suitable means. Thisconveyer may discharge into buckets 26 of an endless belt elevatorproperly disposed with respect to the conveyer 25. Ducts 27 and achimney 28 may be provided to permit the escape of acid vapors. I

It is obvious that many modifications in the structure herein shown anddescribed will suggest themselves to the skilled mechanic but any andall such modifications are within the spirit of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the likehaving in its bottom a longitudinal slot, a car movable therein alongthe longitudinal axis thereof, a revolving scraper mounted on the car,means to propel the car into the container and means to revolve thescraper as the car is propelled into the container.

2. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the likehaving in its bottom a longitudinal slot, a car movable therein alongthe longitudinal axis thereof, a revolving scraper mounted on the car,means to propel the car into the container, means to revolve the scraperas the car is propelled into the container and a conveyer beneath saidslot to receive the material dis charged by the scraper.

3. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the likehaving a longitudinal discharge slot in its underside, a car movableover said slot, a revolving scraper carried by said car at its forwardend, means mounted on said car for driving it, said means also drivingsaid scraper, means under the controlof the operator to reverse thedirection of travel of the car and means actuated by movement of the carto stop the driving means at a predetermined time.

4:. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the like, acar movable therein along the longitudinal axis thereof, means to propelthe same, scraping means carried by said car and movable therewith andmeans actuated by movement of the car to control the movement thereof ata predetermined period in its travel.

'5. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the like, acar movable longitudinally therein, an electric motor to drive the car,and carried thereby, a revolving scraper mounted on said car andincapable of axial movement with respect to the car, said scraper beingdriven by said electric motor, a driving shaft for said car, drivingmeans loosely mounted on said shaft, a coupling member between saidshaft and said driving means, means in the circuit of the motor to holdsaid coupling member in engagement with the forward drive member, meansto force said coupling member into engagement with the reverse drivemember upon interruption of the motor circuit and means actuated by themovement of the car to interrupt the motor circuit at a predeterminedpoint in the travel of the car.

6. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the like,having a longitudinal discharge slot in the base thereof, aself-propelled car movable along said slot, a revolving scrapercomprising knife bearing members angularly disposed about a common axis,carried by said car and forced against the material by the movementthereof and a screen snugly fitting said container and supported by thecar between said scraper and the car.

7. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the like,having a longitudinal discharge slot in the base thereof, aself-propelled car movable along said slot, a revolving scrapercomprising knife bearing members angularly disposed about .a commonaxis, carried by said car and forced against the material by themovement thereof, a screen snugly fitting said container and supportedby the car between said scraper and the car and a belt conveyer disposedunder said slot to receive thematerial discharged by the scraper.

8. A plant for the treatment of superphosphates or the like comprising aplurality of containers for the same, a rail track disposed in frontthereof and transverse thereto, a truck mounted on said track, railsmounted on said truck and transverse thereto, rails disposedlongitudinally in the base of each of said containers, a car mounted onsaid second mentioned rails, a scraper carried on said car and means fordriving said car in any one of said containers when said secondmentioned rails are brought in alinement with the rails thereof.

9. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the like, atrack mounted longitudinally in the base thereof, a car adapted to movethereon, an electric motor carried by said car for driving the same inand out of said container, means for automatically changing the speed oftravel of the car upon the reversal of direction of movement thereof,said means comprising two driving gears carried loosely on the drivingshaft, a coupling sleeve slidable on said shaft and keyed thereto andnormally held in engagement with one of said driving members byelectro-magnetic means in the motor circuit and mechanical means forengaging the coupling sleeve with the other of said driving gears uponthe interruption of the motor circuit, said driving gears serving todrive the car at different speeds and means to interrupt the circuit ata predetermined point in the travel of the car.

10. In combination with a container for superphosphates or the like, acar movable longitudinally therein, a motor carried by the car to propelthe same, a scraper mounted on the front end of the car and serving todischarge the material when forced against the same by the car, a switchin the motor circuit mounted independent of the car, conductors from.the switch to the motor permitting the free relative movement of thelatter, a connection from the car to the switch movable with respect tothe latter, and means carried by said connection to operate the switchat a predetermined position of the car with respect to the container.

In witness whereof -I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

EMILE WENK.

Witnesses:

ALBERT HUG,

GEORGE GIFFORD.

Gouies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

